The Other Side - Chapter 8

"The Other Side - Chapter 7" 

Becky blinked awake, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light of her bedroom. For a moment, she was confused. Why was she awake? She took in her surroundings. She could find nothing out of the ordinary. The house was quiet, and she recalled no dream. She looked at the clock.

Four in the morning, you have got to be kidding me. Becky rolled over and pressed her face into her pillow, but for some reason she was wide awake. Well not for "some reason," for one reason.

"Jacob..." she whispered aloud, biting her lip and feeling her entire face flush. Why was she embarrassed about something that no one else in the entire world could hear? She couldn’t help it though. It was embarrassing when a girl woke up at four o'clock in the morning and her first thought was of some boy she met only two days before. Some superstar boy.

But the thoughts wouldn't go away. Ever since that kiss on the porch she had been completely loopy. Actually even before then she had been loopy. She thought back to her giddiness during the dancing and at the dock... She buried her face even more into the pillow. What was wrong with her?

Absolutely nothing. So what if she liked the guy? He obviously liked her, right? It wasn't like her to be so... reserved about things. If there was one thing about her personality she loved, which Jacob managed to point out, it was her spontaneity.

Becky sat up in bed with a new sense of ambition. It was assumed she and he would get together today - but what would they do? Becky looked out her window, through the blinds were open to the stars of the morning. She felt a grin slowly play across her face. She knew what she would do. She would take Jake on the ride of his life. His first experience, filming in Africa, was one he wanted to forget. This one he would remember forever.

-----

"Oh Jaaaake! Jake-y poo!" Becky pounded her fist on Jake's hotel room door. Almost inaudible, she could hear the shuffling of someone inside. Maybe he was still asleep? She knocked harder.

Finally, the door opened to reveal a tall black man with a shaven head whose face looked ready to kill. Becky bit her lip sheepishly.

"Don't tell me; you're Becky."

"Oh wow, I'm sorry to wake you. Chris, right? I guess I forgot Jake was rooming with someone. Please... don't hurt me?" She gave him a shakysmile and, after a moment, it was returned. Becky breathed a sigh of relief.

"Actually, I'm in the adjoining room, but your knocking was loud enough to wake the whole floor."

"And yet he is still sleeping..." Becky said, raising her eyebrow. Chris chuckled and let her into the room. Sure enough, on the far bed there was a lump under the blankets with a mop of brown hair sticking out. Becky put down her small paper bag on the bedside table.

"Hello? Jake?" Becky looked over at Chris who merely shrugged at Jake's lack of response.

"Wake up, sleepy head." She poked him on the side rhythmically until he started to stir.

"He lives, Doctor! He lives!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air. It was all she could do not to laugh as his green groggy eyes peered out from under the covers. But it was even funnier when she saw them register who it was. In an instant Jake had bolted upright, desperately trying to flatten his out of control bed hair.

"Becky! What are you-? I mean- wow, you're here. Why are you here? Wait - what time is it?"

Becky grinned and sat down next to him on the bed. "Almost seven." She waved away the look of shock on his face. "Come on, it's not that early. The sun is up, after all."

Jake opened and closed his mouth in a way that resembled a fish, unable to come up with anything to say. Becky put up a hand to silence him before he could even start.

"Listen... I had a great time yesterday. I don't even think I realized it until I got home how much I liked it." She looked into his eyes, surprising herself for revealing this much to him. "I woke up this morning and decided I was going to make good on your request. I'm going to show you everything there is to see. I'm going to show you the other side."

"You're amazing," he said, watching her carefully. "But did it have to be at 7 in the morning?" He moaned, sinking down into the bed. Becky laughed and leapt up, grabbing him by the wrists.

"Yes! The outside world is huge. We must act now or you will never be able to experience it all. Plus, I brought you breakfast." She hesitated as she looked at the small bag. "Except, I forgot about Chris, so I have an even better idea. He can have both of our muffins and we'll go out to eat. That's definitely more of a cultural experience anyway."

Becky grinned at the flabbergasted boy who still had yet to move. She gave a playful tug to his wrists.

"Well, go on! Get in that bathroom and take a shower so we can get a move on. I mean it; we're on a time schedule so snap to it."

Becky appropriately averted her eyes as Jacob did what he was told and walked to the bathroom in only his pajama pants. Or at least, she pretended to. She found it impossible to not watch his pleasantly toned torso walk away from her. It certainly took a movie star to look that scrumptious right out of bed and while wearing blue plaid pajamas. When the door was securely shut and her show over, Becky flopped down on the rumpled bed, exhausted.

"Holy man, I think I used up all my energy just getting that boy out of bed."

Chris shook his head. "I personally think you're crazy. What's all this stuff about the other side?"

Becky shrugged, opening the bag of muffins and handing them to Chris, who graciously accepted. "It just means the life of normal people. Kind of a silly thing to ask for in Africa, but I'll do my best to oblige. You know, you're welcome to come with us."

Chris took a giant bite of muffin and shook his head. "That's okay, you kids have fun."

Becky propped herself upon her elbows. "No, really - what else are you going to do? Sit around the hotel by yourself? You should get out, too."

"I appreciate the offer," Chris said with a smirk. "But I'm going to pass. I'm pretty sure Jake would kill me if I stuck around to be third wheel."

Becky felt her face flush as the insinuation. "I don't think you have to worry about Jake hurting you," she said sarcastically, but kept her eyes on the floor. Was this really getting date-like? What had Jake maybe told Chris about yesterday? She suddenly remembered he was a movie star, and it made her stomach turn. She shook off the feeling.

"Since you don't want to come, can I ask that you don't call him at all today? He'll be with me the whole time and I will do nothing to hurt him; scout's honor."

Chris held up his hands in compliance. "You won't have to worry about me - but I do intend to answer when Jake calls me halfway through the day and asks why I let him get kidnapped by a mad woman."

Becky smirked, "Deal."

----

Jake found himself sitting at a small picnic table outside a little restaurant eating some cassava bread and staring at a girl he barely knew but was changing his life. It was still early, much earlier than he was used to - not to mention jet lag - but the day was already warm. Their table was pressed up against the side of a soddy little building, just barely off the main road. The red dirt road was already full of people heading to or from the market - most walking, but others pedaling along on rusted old bikes. He could only see one or two cars, far down the street, and he wasn't sure they were capable of running.

"So, what things do you have in store for today?" Jake asked as he sipped his coffee. Jake watched as Becky's eyes lit up.

"Well, it's not positive yet, but I have a great friend who's a local and sometimes does tours. It's the off season so I bet I could arrange for him to show us all sorts of things. He took me on just a piece of his tour a while back and it's amazing. You're going to love it. And... well, I don't have a back-up plan if that falls through." Becky tore a small piece of his cassava bread off and popped it in her mouth, having already finished all of her pastry.

Jake gave her a glare but his fake anger dissolved quickly. How could you even pretend to be mad at a person with that much passion?

"The only problem is we have to find him. You see, he's homeless, but he likes it that way, so half of our adventure is going to be roaming the streets trying to find his car. Think we can do it?" Her eyes twinkled in the morning light. Jake, caught up in her enthusiasm, nodded.

"It'll be a cinch."

Becky stood up from her seat. She spread her arms wide, embracing the day. "Then let's move."

It didn't take long to pay for their small meal and head out on the streets. Jake did his best to keep up as Becky roamed the sidewalks, her eyes scanning doorways and alleys for the man who would lead them. Silently, Jake marveled at how at home she was in such a foreign country. Even with her fair skin she fit right in - her long brown hair was down but held back by a native headscarf colored with reds, oranges, and greens. It accented her bright green racer-back tank perfectly and the long hand-made bag she had slug over her shoulders bounced gaily against the hip of her long brown cargo shorts.

Jake couldn’t help but appreciate the way the tank clung to her curves, bringing out her slim figure. Her shorts sat low on her waist, and as she jogged through the streets his eyes were glued to the strip of skin that was exposed between her shirt and shorts. She could be a model, he thought, before shaking the idea away. Not everyone had to live their life in front of a camera.

Suddenly Becky noticed she had left Jake behind. She slowed down to set up pace next to him. "I suppose this might take a little longer than I thought. But that's ok, we do have all day - right?"

Jake nodded. "All day and more if you need it. When Karlee set up this trip for me, she gave me two weeks. I don't know how she managed, but she did."

Becky's expression dimmed slightly. "I bet you're always busy aren't you? Never get a break?"

Jake laughed again, this time with a bitter tone. "Never. I mean - there's not much to complain about when I get to pick my hours but really I end up catering to everyone else's schedule. And of course, it never ends. Not only are there always interviews and photo shoots but there are fans and fan mail and personal meetings with fans - not to mention all those photo shoots that occur when I don't want them to, so then I have press meetings to help control the rumors..."

Becky held up her hands to stop him. "Whoa! You're exhausting me just saying it all. I had a general idea but it's always more real when you hear it from the source." Becky paused her search, taking a moment to peer at him carefully. Jacob was used to being stared at, but this made him feel exposed.

"It really hasn't clicked to me that you are some big super star," Becky continued. "I mean... you certainly have the ego for it..."

Jake groaned. "Oh come on, I apologized for -"

Becky laughed and twirled around in a circle. "Jake, I'm kidding. But it is really fun to hold over your head."

"So you're saying that you're never going to let it go-"

"Henri! Oh - Jake, look I found - Henri! Over here!" Becky trotted over to a beat-up classic safari vehicle with legs sticking out of the driver's side window.

Jake approached the vehicle to find Becky talking cheerfully with a man whose skin was so black it almost gave off a blue tint and whose smile seemed wider than his entire face.

"Henri, this is Jacob, Jacob this is Henri." Henri shook Jacob's hand warmly. "Henri, this boy needs an African experience. I promised I would show him all about Sulima and the rest of Sierra Leone but I just don't have what it takes. Are you free today? Can you give us a tour? We'll buy you lunch!" Becky waggled her eyebrows and Henri laughed aloud.

"Oh Rebecca, you know you don't even have to bribe me with lunch. Your company is all I need... and gas money." He laughed again and then nodded his head to the back seat. "Get in kids, we'll start right now!

Becky gave a squeal of delight and half shoved Jake into the backseat of the car. He didn't think he had ever been in something so old and broken down in his entire life. With a cough and an ominous shudder, the car was puttering down the narrow road.

"Henri is originally from the Cote D'Ivoire, so, oddly enough, his first language is French. He learned English when he was very little and - wait, didn't you study in the United States, Henri?"

Henri nodded from the front seat. Becky continued, "That's what I thought! So, he studied in the States, which is actually how he got to know my Dad. Eventually he came back to Africa, but instead of going to the Cote D'Ivoire, he came to Sierra Leone. How come, Henri?"

"Because I had to follow the love of my life." He said solemnly as he turned onto a road that would lead them out of the heart of Sulima.

Becky rolled her eyes and leaned in close to Jake to whisper. "Fishing and drinking!"

Henri's eyes half glared and half laughed at Becky in the rearview mirror. Despite the loud sound of the engine, Becky's whispered voice he had still heard. "Just fishing now!"

Jake shook his head and looked out through the hole in the canvas hanging from the bars over the top of the safari vehicle. Jake dug in his pocket for his sunglasses. He felt the wind moving through his hair and as Becky leaned over him to point at a building marking the edge of the city he felt the pressure of her leg against his.

It occurred to him that Sierra Leone was the path which led a lot of people to the love of their life.

----

"...And then Bunce Island was the host to one of the biggest exports of slaves on West Africa's Rice Coast. It was shut down in the last 1800s, but not before Africa lost thousands and thousands of people to the Americas and West Indies."

Jake listened in fascination as Henri slowly but surely explained to him the rich history of Sierra Leone, his accent thick but easy to understand.

Becky shook her head as Henri told about Bunce Island. "It's a horrible place - I've been there. It's up by the capital, Freetown, which would have been the place to visit today, but it's further than one day's travel. And oh, I've always wanted to see that island that has all the protected animals..."

Henri told them about Tiwai island, a wildlife sanctuary which also was too far to visit in one day, but assured Jake they would see some great wildlife today—yet their journey across the wilderness continued. They had already driven past the houses and farm land created from the removal of the rain forest. The buildings, rural farm homes, grew fewer and farther between, with dark green foliage growing up in the empty spaces instead of crops. Now that foliage was growing larger with huge trees coming up on either side of the road. Where was this guy taking them?

Just as he had the thought, Henri's conversation turned from history guide to tour guide. He pointed out various plants as they rumbled by, moving the vehicle further into the green. The humidity of the forest was getting stronger but the tall plants were creating patches of shadows as they entered the forest. The red dirt road grew narrower and rougher, causing Henri to slow down the vehicle.

"Wow," Jacob said, looking out of the side of the car.

"Have you ever been to the rain forest before?" Becky asked. She leaned over him so she could look out his side of the car.

Jacob shook his head. He was very aware of the way her thigh pressed into his, and how the heat of her body warmed his. Get a grip, man. He refocused back on the scenery.

The further in they went, the bigger the leaves. The sun only came down in small slivers now as the trees rose higher to block it out. When it did peer through, it caused the colors of whatever it hit to jump out. Even the red clay of the earth seemed more vivid back here than it did in the town of Sulima.

"Is he taking us somewhere specific?" He asked, not turning to look at Becky. She knew her face was very close, but he didn't want to make her back away.

"Probably," she gasped and pointed at a particularly beautiful flower, "he knows all the great places."

Just as Becky said it, Henri told them to hang on and turned onto an even smaller road, if it could even be called that. The plants had been cut back recently and the road itself was just two deeper ruts. Jacob gripped the side of the vehicle to keep the jarring to a minimum.

"This'll hurt tomorrow!" Becky called cheerfully over the rumble of the engine.

It wasn't long though, before they suddenly broke into a clearing. Jake felt his mouth drop open in amazement. Whether it was natural or not, there was a sudden clearing, wide for how dense the rest of the forest was, that let in the light of the sun brilliantly. Opposite them, Jacob could see a stream which several critters were gathered by.

"Here we are," Henri said, turning around. "Go on, hop up."

Becky grinned and grab a hold of the bar on top of the vehicle and pulled herslf up. Jacob quickly followed and soon the three of them were sitting on the bars that made the top of the vehicle, watching the rain forest.

Henri kept his voice low as he spoke. "This area is usually a great place to make some sightings. It isn't so much that they come to water -" he nodded toward the stream, " -since water isn't hard to come by in the rain forest. I think they come more for the sunshine, a break from all the plants."

Jacob nodded and looked around carefully. Henri began pointing out the different birds that were flying low in the clearing. The humidity was intense and the clearing was even hotter with the bright sun having access to shine down. Jacob didn't mind the discomfort though, instead focusing on trying to see what Henri found.

Suddenly Jake felt a weight in his hands. He looked down and found a camera. He caught a look from Becky who just smiled softly and shrugged.

"Don't worry, they don't need to be National Geographic quality - just take some for the memories."

Jake looked down at the camera and then back to Becky with surprise. His eyes caught hers. Did she have any idea what this meant to him? He struggled for a respons, but none came to him. Instead he took her advice he lifted the Canon to his face, adjusted the focus and snapped a few pictures.

The three of them sat on top of the car, baking in the sun, but too enthralled to care. Henri, talking about a specific bird's flight pattern, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"Ah!" He whispered and then carefully pointed up toward the top of the trees on their left. "I was hoping they would come! The Diana Monkeys are endangered, but I know where a few of them still reside." He winked at his companions. "Look, look - here she comes."

Jacob aimed the camera lens at the monkey, watching the black bodied and white chested creature lower itself through the trees. He took some careful shots, wishing he could move off the car and get closer. He didn't ask though. This was a place that was perfect how it was. He didn't want to ruin anything.

They spent a few more minutes watching the Diane Monkey before it moved out of sight. "Well," Henri said as he lowered himself back down into the driver's seat. "That would be your main attraction. Let's head back."

Becky and Jacob plopped back down in the back seat as Henri started up the engine, thoroughly startling all the animals out of their peaceful existence. Jacob looked down at the camera in his hands, trying to come up with a way to thank Becky for letting him use it. But then Becky's hand came into his vision, holding a small figurine of a giraffe.

"You're in the wrong part of Africa to see a giraffe, so I thought I could bring one to you." She said easily and placed the figurine in his hand.

Jacob rolled the smooth wood through his fingers. "Wow, Becky -" He looked at her for a moment. Her brown eyes were wide, and her face calm and open. She was beautiful. Jacob lowered his head and butted it against hers. "You are too good to me, you know that?"

Henri managed to turn the decrepit vehicle around and directed them back toward the city. Jacob leaned out the window, continuing to capture different parts of the journey. The deep forest green of the leaves, the bright egg-yolk yellow of the flowers, the captivating blackness of the shadows and, of course, that rich brown-red of the earth. And then, when Becky wasn't looking, he took a few shots of her profile with her multi-colored hair scarf, the way her hair curled around her ear...

When they arrived back in Sulima, Henri refused their offer for a late lunch.

"I am sorry my young friends, but I decline. Please, go enjoy yourselves. I'll take up your offer another time." Then with a grin he pulled away, leaving them standing in front of Jake's hotel. Becky sat down on the step leading up to the front door, taking a deep breath of relaxation.

"Well, what did you think?"

Jake plopped himself down next to her, unable to keep a straight face. "Are you kidding me? I loved it, absolutely loved it. I can't believe... well, you put a lot of thought into that, didn't you?"

Becky bit her lip and then shook her head. "Not at all. I just have a knack for coming up with things on the spur of the moment. But if it makes you feel better to think that I spent allll niiiight..."

Jacob rolled his eyes and in a flash pulled off the Becky's headscarf. He laughed aloud at her reaction and didn't even try to avoid her as she grabbed it back. Becky pouted on the step, one hand over her head.

"Great! Now my hair looks horrible!"

“You mean beautiful,” he corrected, leaning back on his elbows.

Becky raised an eyebrow at his compliment, clearly not believing him. She glanced at her watch. "Well, it's a little after three. What do we do now?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the one telling me?" Jake asked. He caught the panicked look in Becky's eyes and laughed. "Oh, I'm kidding. I can probably contribute to the day too." He winked and then poked at his empty stomach. "Listen, since we missed lunch, why don't we do an early supper? We can even go back to your place and grab your two friends - Jim and...?"

"Delany. Hey yeah, that wouldn't be a bad idea. They might like to know what you've been doing with me all day, after the talking to I got last night after they saw-" Becky hesitated, her cheeks turning red. They hadn't mentioned anything about last night's kiss or what sort of meaning it had.

Jake decided to spare her the awkward moment. " - our kiss?" He said simply. "I can only imagine. I obviously don't know Delany very well but let's just say that I've come across a lot of girls who kind of..." He searched for the appropriate thing to say.

"...go nuts? Yeah, it was something like that." Becky grinned at their game. "Let's go find those two and get out on the town. By the time Delany gets ready to go it won't be such an early supper anyway."

"The Other Side - Chapter 9" 

Madame